@OriginalGabriel: AFAIK, this is not possible, and I agree that it's a VERY dumb feature.

TimmyGUNZ

I have yet to get this feature (or IMAP for that matter) ... Anyone know if the new contact manager allows you to NOT have every single address you ever write to get saved? That's, by far, the silliest "feature" Gmail has.

OriginalGabriel

My gmail has IMAP, and I have had it for 4 years.

Rich Bradshaw

I think all the people who paid for upgrades should get the updates first, or use the invitation system if you are afraid to roll the updates out too quick.

wiseassoffice

I don't care about IMAP, but I do care about speeding up the interface -- so far, things are just as slow as ever in GMail for me. I'll continue downloading my GMail into Outlook (shudder) for the time being...

abhowell

@Troy F.: Me either, hope there wasn't a snag in rolling everything out.

oldredhat

Nice feature, but I'm still looking forward to a feature that automatically deletes every email in your Spam folder within 5 minutes or a selected time.

ChristDude

No IMAP for me yet.

Troy F.

@CommenterX: I'm totally with you! They should make the To:, CC: and BCC: titles a link that pops open your contact list so you can just select who you want to send it to.

Another thing I hate is there's no easy way to "combine" contacts - I have to copy the information, delete one, then paste into the other one.

shrutis

I haven't read anyone receiving IMAP since the 26th except the new accounts. Early adopters are hit the hardest as the week promised is almost over and still no IMAP.

So I'm not too keen at this new development as we (early adopters) might not be getting it in time too.

BlackBeard

None of those tricks are working. I have been checking 4 separate Gmail accounts (2 are mine, 2 are my wife's) and none of us have IMAP yet, and our language is US English. We are in NJ. I wonder if location has any impact on it?

TimmyGUNZ

Some of us have been privy to the info for a while ;) Maybe since I dunno October?

[www.noheat.com]

wiseassoffice

still waiting for imap this is getting beyond a joke like i'm going to see thie new interface any time soon

and no the tricks don't work :(

Gonzie

You likely need to change language to English (US). I think they roll updates out to US users first, then trickle through the other languages.

Rich Bradshaw

Hopefully it won't be long before they push it down to Google Apps for your Domain users.

Gigadafud

For those waiting for IMAP - 2 options that may be worth a look.
1. Give an IMAP client a try anyway - it may be enabled within Gmail already but just now showing the option.
2. Change your language in Gmail to English (US) - I'm in the UK, but when I changed the language, the IMAP option appeared and it was already enabled.

tatster

I'm am still amused that gmail storage is bigger than my desktop hard drive in 1995. Its only 12 years later. So in 2019 will gmail be say 120gb (ie. the hard drive size of my laptop) or maybe 1TB (the total hard drive size of my desktop).

jackquack

OK, glad to see I'm not the only one without IMAP yet, let alone zippy mcspeed loading. I've been waiting patiently... Google, where's the love?

wdcampbell3

I suppose it's good to see that I'm not the only one waiting for the IMAP access. Of course, I don't see the new contacts feature, either, but that's not nearly as important to me.

MAW

My question is this: is there ever going to be a way to hit the "Compose" button, _then_ select the contact(s) in the "To" field? Seems a small thing, but it's how I've used all the email clients I've ever used, and it's a tough habit to break.

I know you can type part of a contact's name in the "to" field to find them, but that's a pain if sending to multiple people, or if I can't recall the contact's name.

I'd love for someone to tell me I'm stupid and that this functionality is already there, but I don't think it is.

CommenterX

Yeah, I'd just be happy with IMAP being added to my account....

xxdesmus

the web gtalk for the past 3 wks auto times me out and I have either refresh hte page or click sign-in to get back. Oh well, I'll stick w/my pidgin.

mr_oshodi

I stil hate the fact that my quick contacts bar has no way of displaying the phone number quickly. Isnt' that the most likely reason you'd even need to look at your contacts?

Tony of TonyandJuan.com

Yes, still waiting for IMAP here. They say it should all be done by tomorrow. Hard not to be impatient. Syncing contacts with the iPhone is my dream...currently have a Yahoo account set up ONLY for that purpose (I'm allergic to Microsoft Outlook).

ahsrubbery

I'm convinced Google forgot about installing IMAP for me, especially since I've been asking for it for a out 8 months now.

TimmyGUNZ

Oops . . . I meant Google Docs and Spreadsheets . . . not Google Reader!!!

sjwgator

Personally, I think they're going in alphabetical order . . . being towards the end of the alphabet doesn't help. I have neither IMAP nor the new Contacts feature enabled. Adam and Gina are towards the top . . . and they have both enabled. I'm so jealous!

Also, has anyone heard any rumors about a new Gmail interface? I've heard rumors they're going to make Gmail look like Google Reader. Can anyone confirm?

sjwgator

Johnjoe, you're far from alone. Not only am I IMAPless, my Contacts still look just the way they always did. I wonder if I'm being punished for something.

I'll give up Yahoo, guys, I swear! Just gimmee that beautiful IMAP.

Counterglow

I swear the version of Gmail I'm using is a 2000 alpha build. It's slow and clunky and has no features.

chris-mcc

Okay, one more new thing. When hovering your mouse over the name of the person who sent you an email, a small window pops up with options to email, invite to chat, as well as some other things.

ryetronics

...doh! have just read the comments & see I'm not alone in my IMAPlessness.

Johnjoe0110

I don't see the change yet. Of course, I still don't have the IMAP option either. :(

TheRick

Great! One thing I didn't like about Gmail was the contact list, glad to see an improvement there!

...is anyone else still waiting for IMAP to show up? I've still just got POP in my settings... : (

Johnjoe0110

Another small change - flipping between showing/hiding chat has been speeded up. The first time I did it I thought it hadn't worked, because it normally took 10 seconds or more.

verloren

Yeah, I feel kinda left out. I could use the IMAP on my WM6 phone and could really benefit from the new contacts and faster email. But, alas, I have not seen any of those changes. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Whenever a new Gmail feature arises, I usually don't see it for a long time.

xious

I also just noticed there is an 'Add Event Invitation' link right next to the where you attach a file.

I hope they fix the attaching file issues and make it easier to use. Bulk add would be nice, as well as native drag and drop.

ryetronics

Just last night I was bitching to myself about how you can't just create a filter from an email. VERY happy about that change. I've also had a lot of latency issues with gmail lately so hopefully those will disappear too. *crossing fingers*

Crystal

I'm still waiting for IMAP too. :(

TrexSchad

I'm still waiting for IMAP... so who knows when I'll see these new updates.

Jason Lambert

Just tried it and there is a big improvement on loading messages. It's instant.

acewave

I just logged out and back in and it's up and running for me, although Contacts are very sluggish at the moment. It's weird using Gmail without all the Better Gmail tweaks enacted, but I don't mind because the whole experience is a ton quicker.

ryetronics

Stylish seems to be broken on it, too....

edmicman

I had heard from some of my friends that they had noticed some real slowdowns over the last month with Gmail. This new pre-fetch technology should be a real help.

John

John Richardson

Good. If I had one complaint for Gmail, it was the contacts section. Probably just a personal preference, but I didn't like its layout.

cayton

so when does this new version rolls out to all of North America? or you guys @ LH got a special invite to test drive it?

mr_oshodi

I thought the alphabetical thing might be it, but a friend of mine who's account starts with "J" does not have it yet and I know people who have accounts that start with "L" that DO. My accounts start with "T" and "S" and both are sans IMAP.

TimmyGUNZ

@OriginalGabriel: Seconded; very annoying. It should be a preferences option.

@Everyone who doesn't have IMAP yet: Here's another buddy for you; I've been waiting, too. That alphabetical-order idea might be it, though. My username starts with V.

I just blogged about this, and I can't wait to get it enabled. IMAP isn't something I'll really use right now, since I have no real use for a client, but improved contact manager and speed will be quite welcome. Are they integrating the Talk gadget into this, or just revamping the popups?

I sure will miss Macros, though. I'm always using "l+'label name'" to manage mail. I'm sure our dedicated Lifehackers are working furiously to get updated versions of the scripts in Better Gmail, right? ;)

voyagerfan5761

no IMAP for me either -- do you think they're going by chronological order?

yotoad

Has anyone noticed that the "new" GMail has altered the advertising links so that Greasemonkey scripts and the like aren't blocking them anymore?

crichton007

@TimmyGUNZ:

mine begins with an M soo i could be soon :)

Gonzie

@xangelo: I'd be hard pressed to find someone that uses Gmail and google products much more than I do and I'm w/o it. I think they just must be doing a chunk of servers at a time.

TimmyGUNZ

I did manage to get IMAP a few days ago, but I would have preferred the 2.0 update first because I need to sort out those auto-added contacts (though I suspect it's a sequential thing -- you get IMAP first and then the 2.0 update -- but that's just speculation).

Here's hoping we all get our updated GMail soon!

omarz

I don't think it's the aplphabetical thing at all.. my account starts with an x :P but I have both IMAP and the new Contacts. I've also had my account for a number of years now (probably close to 4 years). It might have something to do with frequency of visits though? I know I check Gmail multiple times a day (probably around 20) and other Google services (yes, google manages my life) around the same amount. Or maybe they're starting at both ends of the alphabet simultaneosly. I also don't think it's a "forget about the world" issue. From what I'm understanding, their old multi-language system is staying generally the same. While IMAP support might take a while to roll out globally, the new contacts system shouldn't really have a problem.

xangelo

@jackquack: They are an American Company, of course America will get the products first.

Hey...I had to deal with the Japanese getting Super Famicom before we could get SNES in the States, so as far as I'm concerned, they can wait for their IMAP until I get mine! :)

TimmyGUNZ

Again, Google forgets about the rest of the world. I'm really starting to resent someone google's treatment of the rest of us. Not that I'll stop using, and I really love them, but I'm left out of so much.

jackquack

Nice contacts list...

Brad Isaac
Brian Lam
bugs@gawker.com
Cia Bernales
David Penick
Dustin L
Jory Stiefel
Kevin Purdy
Kyle Pott @ Lifehacker
Nick Denton
Noah Robischon
Ray Wert
Scott Kidder
Tamar Weinberg

Aren't those all Gawker folks? Did you really need to blur the names? ;)

bbqsandwich

The "Newer Version" of Gmail is constantly giving me a script error whenever I compose mail and locks up Firefox. Sticking with the "Older Version" for now.

Doug B

@bbqsandwich: Uh, thanks. I blurred them because I wanted to take the attention away from my contacts and keep it focused on the layout, not because I had anything to hide.

Gina Trapani, Lifehacker Editor

@bbqsandwich: ahaha nice, I was about to do the same thing, too.

josephers

my email starting with 'B' has IMAP, but no new contacts... My email starting with 'M' has neither... does that kill the alphabetical theory? Is it just arbitrary?

thewillum

Another tip for speeding up gmail: turn off the chat (in the options at the bottom of every page).

engtech

@Gina Trapani, Lifehacker Editor:
Haha, and I thought that you just sucked at censoring stuff out of the email since it was clearly readable. (just kidding, you're still my favorite blogger)

Dooga

I finally got IMAP a few hours ago. I am so happy. I am going to give it a try. Hopefully it will be worth the wait. A feature I would like to have added to the newer version of Gmail would be a return receipt feature. Not because I need it but just something to have you never know when it might come in handy....

lilparker780

@L0neRanger: Oh boy, you opened the can of worms. More like the warehouse. :D I've seen plenty of theories as to how Google decides who to give new features to, including registration date (disproved) and alphabetical order (I'm testing this one with the Gmail 2.0 rollout). It could also be storage use (not likely, since I saw someone using more space than me get new features, and someone using less). Suffice it to say, I don't think anyone outside of Google (or perhaps even just the Gmail Team) knows how the rollouts work.

@lilparker780: Egads! You just reminded me that I've been wanting this. And I've never suggested it to Google when I submit suggestion forms... Augh! I'll make sure to write that down for my next submission. Thanks!

voyagerfan5761

Got my IMAP this morning! I believe every Gmail will have them today (as they promised).

A really eye pleasing feature would be to give those labels a hierarchy. Labels or folders, I just love the behaviour when messages are move from one folder to another from an email client.

BlackBeard

If, like me, you don't see the changes yet (let alone imap for that matter), you can still get to the new contacts manager:
[mail.google.com]
if you have gafyd:
mail.google.com/a/yourdomain.com/contacts/ui/ContactManager?js=RAW
(via [googlesystem.blogspot.com])

There's a note there about it only importing CSV files, and needing A to G (which doesn't seem to exist anywhere) to import contacts from Apple Address Book, however exporting a group vcard instead worked for me.

badsandwich

@ TASTER - Cheers for the tip - Changed my gmail language to US English and there it is, IMAP available, selected and enabled. ; )

Johnjoe0110

hurray! i've got imap at last ^_^

Gonzie

alas, but will the contacts sync natively with iCal?

Giovanni Borella

Can anyone confirm if there are HTML Signatures?

logicology

I found this post to be frustratingly vague about some crucial information. The Gmail blog announcement specifies that this new Gmail UI will be "rolling out to Firefox 2 and IE 7 users over the coming weeks (with other browsers to follow)," something you don't mention while citing the blog's good news about speed improvements for Safari 3. Is the new UI currently operating for Safari 3? Unknown, based on the LH and Gmail blog writeups. You also mention that "if you've got the new Gmail UI enabled on your account, you may have to disable the Better Gmail [for Firefox] extension," but that passive construction fails to specify whether enabling the UI is somehow controlled remotely by Gmail or is something users can control. Idea for a LH posting: How to stop wasting time down the rabbit hole chasing insufficiently documented beta and pre-release software chatter.

JHalSF

Wouldn't you think Google would want to focus on the paying Google Apps folks first? ...maybe it's just me.

Vetro

My IMAP was enabled last night, but no new contacts feature yet. Last name starts with "S" but I've had my account for mucho years.

maundo

No new features here either. I always want them twice as much when other people are talking about how great they are. Jealousy... :-/

ALEXPIPERDOTCOM

The new version lacks the feature of merging contacts which I am waiting for since long.
Gmail sucks in this regard.

rungss

I am /so/ glad they're finally fixing the contacts management system. I never used it, in fact I kept Yahoo messenger on my system for years just so I had a decent web-connected contacts list that actually worked as anything more than a dumping ground for every email address ever...

dimo414

i was anxiously awaiting an option to tick names in the contact list and have them prepopulate the "to:" field of a new message, but that was not included on this upgrade either.

oh well, the contact management update is still leaps and bounds beyond where it was. for that, i'm greatful.

JSDavis82

@gerbercj: It's been reported in several user groups and blogs that there are incompatibilities between the new version of Gmail and Gmail Macros. The Gmail Team also said that the update breaks third-party addons, and that they have contacted the developers of the more popular additions to hopefully get updates. Until they are updated, though, there will be a conflict between the old userscripts and the new interface. It's a shame Google had to break userscripts to make the upgrade; I'll be using the old interface even after I get the new one until Gmail Macros works...

voyagerfan5761

I spoke too soon. While I still do not have 2.0 active yet, I found this (if you're logged in to your Google acct., the link will take you directly to the contact manager):
[mail.google.com]

The answer to my original question is YES! Oh goodie, goodie, goodie! I'm off to play now. :)

magnoliasouth

Man! I still don't have the new Gmail. *sobs* One question though for those that do: Does the new Contact Manager allow mapping of addresses? This is something I've longed for, for quite awhile. It's unfortunate that I have to maintain two contact lists; one in Gmail and the other in maps. I will be very happy if they have this fixed now.... AND even more so when I can actually use it!

magnoliasouth

The new contacts manager seems long on presentation (it's much, much faster) and short on any real improvements in the feature set. The most irritating thing (the inability to merge contacts) hasn't been addressed. It's a must, given Gmail's insistence on adding every address you send to in the contacts.
Disappointing. :(
Guess I'll be keeping my Highrise account.

csesget

@csesget: AW MAN!!! They don't let you custom-name emails anymore! Big shortcoming; I used that ever since starting the service. Home, Work, Other. What if I want to remind myself what each "Other" is? Bad Google! Time for a suggestion...

voyagerfan5761

Wow, the new features really did break Better Gmail. I can't even log in when the add-on is enabled (even in "older version" mode). And what a bummer! I had forgotten how annoying it is to have my spam count pop up all the time. Also, I keep reaching for the "mark as read" button that is no longer there. How sad.

johnmarkos

@johnmarkos: In addition, it seems like some of the regular addons such as CustomizeGoogle and Gmail Notify are also incompatible. I'm sure the authors of those and other extensions will get busy soon (I hope).

bswilson